Hose decorating method and apparatus



July 22, 1941. A, BRANAN 2,249,939

HOSE DECORATING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Sept. 3, 1940 Patented July 22, 1941 HOSE DECORATlNG METHOD AND APPARATUS Alfred F. Branan, Niles Center, Ill.

Application September 3, 1940, Serial No. 355,262

(Cl. 10i-38) 17 Claims.

This invention relates to hose decorating apparatus. By the term hose, I intend to include herein stockings, socks, anklets, and all like types of hosiery.

The shape of hose, including as it does a heel portion extending at an angle from the leg and foot portion of the hose, makes it extremely difficult to apply decorative material by printing, stenciling, or other means, which is continuous along the foot and leg portion thereof. In the practice which has been followed, therefore, the decorative material is applied to only certain portions of the hose which normally lie in a straight line, a break in the decorative material appearing about the ankle portion.

The object of the present invention is to pro-v vide apparatus whereby the foot and leg portions of the hose can be united in a single straight line, so that a continuous applicationof decorative material can be made thereto and throughout any desired length.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby the foot and leg portions of the hose can be converted into a single tubular structure having straight lines throughout and upon which decorative material may be printed, stenciled, applied by spraying or by any other suitable means.

The invention is illustrated 'in a preferred embodiment by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a hose illustrating the difficulty in handling the same presented by the curvature thereof and the projecting heel portion; Figure 2, a longitudinal sectional View of apparatus embodying my invention showing the hose converted into a straight tubular structure upon which printing or other decorative material may be readily and accurately formed; and Figure 3, a broken view, partly in longitudinal section, illustrating a modified form of the invention used in cooperation with a grooved printing roller.

In the illustration given, I designates a mandrel which is in the form of a hollow cylindrical tube having a slot II formed therein adapted to receive the heel portionof the hose. To support the mandrel, at one end is a cylindrical head member I2 which may be welded or otherwise secured solidly in position within the mandrel. A supporting bar I3 extends rearwardly from the attachment head I2 and is carried by any suitable supporting apparatus (not shown). The opposite end of the mandrel is rounded at I4 and is provided with an opening I5 adapted to receive a toe portion of the hose. A supporting bar i6 is provided with a central nger projection I'I adapted to extend within the opening I5 and with a laterally extending cup flange I3 adapted to receive the rounded portion I4 of the mandrel. If desired, only one of the supporting means may be employed.

While in the illustration given I have 4shown a cylindrical tube because this form of structure is well adapted for use with a printing roll, it will be understood that the mandrel may be of any suitable shape. If desired, the mandrel or insert member may be a tube or rod, solid or hollow, cylindrical, oval, square, or of other shape. The ends of the mandrel may be open or closed.

Instead of providing the mandrel with a slot, the mandrel may be provided with an upwardly extending thin projection I9, as illustrated in Figure 3. By this means the heel of the stocking may be tucked into a groove 20 with which the printing rollerV 2| or other decorating device may be provided. The groove 2S, as shown, is preferably of only suiicient dimensions to receive the heel of the stocking. In the illustration given in Fligure2, the printing roller 22 is plain. For.

convenience in description, the sock A, as illustrated in Figure 1, is provided with 4a leg portion 23 with an upper border portion 24, a heel portion 25, a foot portion 26, and a toe por-tion 2'I.

Operation In operation, the sock or other type of hose may be placed upon the mandrel Ill, as illustrated in Figure 2. I-Iere the border portion 24 is tucked within the inner open end of the tube mandrel. If desired, all of the -top or border portion of the sock may be drawn within this space so as to protect that portion from any means of decorating used as, particularly, when spraying or other similar types of decorating means is employed. Likewise, the toe portion 21 of the sock is pushed within the opening l5 of the mandrel and maintained out of contact with any decorating material. Such means serve further to lock the hose in stretched condition. If desired, la similar locking plug may be used for the pposite end of the tube mandrel about the shaft I3 so as to maintain that portion of the sock in stretched condition.

rIhe heel portion 25 of the sock is drawn within the slot II of the mandrel, as illustrated in Figure 2. In this position, a continuous decoration.

may be applied by the roller 22 all along any portion of the sock including not only the leg portion 23 but-also the foot portion 26. The mandrel provides a long or continuous surface to which the decoration is thus applied. The only break in the continuity of the straight surface is at the rear of the sock where the heel enters the slot and at this point it is desired that printing not extend about the heel. Inst-ead Yof printing, the mandrel lll may itself be rotated over a fiat printing surface or a stenciling tube or other device used over the mandrel and sock for forming thereon theV desired decorations. It will be understood that the decorations may be applied by a multitude of forms, including the application of prints, straight printing or decorating, stenciling, decoration by rollers, or by rolling the mandrel itself upon surfaces, and decoration by a multitude of other devices which are well known and which yneed not here be described. By bringing the sock into a position where it constitutes a straight tube or bringing it into a position where a straight surface is provided below a continuous surface of the leg and foot portions of the hose, effective continuous decoration can be accomplished.

It will be understood that continuous decorating mechanism, in which a multitude of mandrels are employed for conveying hose in contact with-decorating devices, will be employed but is not described herein, the present application being confined to the new mandrel and ydecorating apparatus cooperating therewith.

It will be noted that the recesses provided in the ends ofthe tube illustrated enable the toe portions and border portions to be concealed and sheltered from contact with any decorative means. Further, the holding means serves not only to support the mandrel but to hold the hose securely in position upon the mandrel. If decorations are applied by spraying means, it will be found that the original color of the toe, heel and border portions are effectively protected from contact with the material sprayed thereon, or if applied by other means, by reason of their being tucked within the slots or recesses described.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for the purpose of illustration of the in- Vvention and it will be understood that the details therein stated may be modiiied Widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In the claims annexed hereto I have used the word hose in its broad sense to include socks, stockings, ani/:lets and similar footwear, etc.

I claim:V

1. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received within said hose and providing a straight surface upon which said foot and leg por-tions are maintained in a `straight line, means for maintaining said heel portion of the hose out of alignment with said straight surface, and means for applying decorative material to said hose along said straight line.

2. In apparatus of the character set` forthV for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received within said hose and providing a straight surface upon which said foot and leg portions are maintained in a straight line, means for supporting the mandrel, means for maintaining the heel portion of the hose out of alignment with said straight surface, and means for applying decorative material to said hose along said straight line.

3. In apparatus of the character set forth for.

decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received Within said hose and providing a straight surface upon which foot and leg portions are maintained in an unbroken straight line, means for applying decorative material to said hose along said straight line, and means for narrowing the compass of the heel portion of the hose and maintaining it out of alignment with said straight surface.

4. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel p0rtions, a mandrel adapted to be received within said hose and providing a continuous surface upon which said foot and leg portions are maintained,A means carried by said mandrel for receiving said heel portion to support it out of alignment with said continuous surface, and means for applying decorative material to said hose on said foot and leg portions along said continuous surface.

5. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel provided with an opening therein adapted to receive the heel of said hose and provi-ding a continuous surface upon which said foot and leg portions are maintained, and means for applying decorative material to said foot and leg portions along said continuous surface.

6. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a hollow mandrel having a slot adapted to receive the heel of said hose when said hose is drawn upon said mandrel and also providing a straight surface upon which the foot and leg porlar mandrel having a transverse narrow slot therein for receiving the heel portion of said hose, and means forl applying decorative material to said hose.

v8. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received Within said hose and providing a straight surface upon which said foot and leg :portions are maintained in a straight line, said mandrel having open end portions into which the ends of said hose may be tucked, means for applying decorative material to said hose, and means for maintaining the heel portion ofthe hose out of alignment with said straight surface.

9. In apparatus of the character'set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, heel, and toe portions, a mandrel adapted to be received within the hose and providing a continuous surface upon which said foot and leg portions are maintained, means for supporting the mandreLsaid mandrel having an opening at one en d thereof adapted to receive the toe portion of said hose, and having an opening intermediate the ends of the mandrel for receiving the heel of said hose.

10. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and top border portions, a mandrel adaptedto be received Within said hose and providing a continuous surface upon which saidfoot and leg portions arefmain.- tained, means for supporting the mandrel, said` mandrel having an opening in one end thereof into which said top border portion of the hose may be tucked and being provided with a tr-ansverse slot intermediate the ends of said mandrel for receiving the heel portion of said hose, and means for Iapplying decorative material to said hose along said continuous surface.

11. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received within said hose and providing ka continuous surface upon which foot and leg portions of the hose are maintained, said mandrel being provided with a narrow transverse projection adapted to narrow the compass of the heel portion of the hose and to maintain the same in outwardly extended position out of alignment with said straight surface, and decorative means for applying decorations to said hose on said continuous surface.

12. In apparatus of the character set forth for decorating hose having leg, foot, and heel portions, a mandrel adapted to be received within said hose and providing a continuous surface upon which foot and leg portions `of the hose are maintained in extended position, said mandrel being provided with a narrow projection adapted to maintain the heel portion of the hose in outwardly extended position out of alignment with said straight surface, and decorative means for applying decorations to said hose on said continuous surface, said decorative means consisting of a printing roller provided with a groove receiving said extended heel portion of the hose the dimensions of said groove being only Very slightly larger than those of said projection whereby decorations are applied to said hose immediately adjacent to al1 sides of said projection.

13. A mandrel for receiving hose and maintaining the same in a substantially straight line, comprising a hollow tube provided With a transverse slot intermediate the ends thereof and eX- tending partially around the periphery of the tube.

14. A mandrel for receiving hose and maintaining the foot and leg portions thereof in a substantially straight line comprising a straight body adapted to be received within said hose and provided with an opening intermediate the ends of said body into which the heel portion of the hose may be tucked.

15. A mandrel for the purposes set forth comprising a straight body adapted to be received Within the hose and provided with a heel recess intermediate the ends of said mandrel and with a toe recess at one end of said mandrel, said recesses providing openings into which the heel portion and toe portion of the hose may be tucked.

16. A mandrel for the purposes set forth comprising a straight body 4adapted to be received within the hose and provided with a heel recess intermediate the ends of Vsaid mandrel and a pair of recesses at the opposite ends of said mandrel, said heel recess being adapted to receive the heel portion of the hose and said end recesses being adapted to receive respectively the open border portion and the toe portion of said hose.

17. A method of decorating hose having leg, foot and heel portions, comprising placing the hose on a supporting mandrel vto form a continuous extended surface of the foot and leg portions of the hose, tucking the heel portion of the hose into an opening in the mandrel, and applying decorative material to the hose along said continuous surface. Y

ALFRED F. BRANAN. 

